Invent Penn State

Alumnus Ryan Owen appears on new episode of 'Dare to Disrupt' podcast

Owen discusses going from trading on Wall Street to founding a facial authentication software company

In the latest episode of Invent Penn State’s “Dare to Disrupt” podcast, alumnus Ryan Owen shares his experiences as a Wall Street trader, the unique internship opportunities Penn State connected him to as a student, as well as his experience being in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Credit: Provided by Ryan OwenAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In the latest episode of Invent Penn State’s “Dare to Disrupt” podcast, host Ryan Newman interviews Ryan Owen, co-founder and president of Wicket, a software company that specializes in facial authentication solutions for venue operators and facility managers. Owen graduated from Penn State's University Park campus in 1999 with a degree in information systems. 

In this episode, Owen shares his experiences as a Wall Street trader, the unique internship opportunities Penn State connected him to as a student, as well as his experience being in the World Trade Center on 9/11. He then shares the twists and turns that led him to founding his two current startups: Wicket and Cast Iron Media, a sports and entertainment streaming solutions company. 

“I was in the North Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, which was the first tower to get hit. And so, I decided that I needed to do something completely different, because of the emotional experience of it. And my brother had just started a technology company in Chicago. So, I said to my wife, 'let's move out to Chicago and give this a go.' That was my first strong pivot toward entrepreneurship,” Owen said during the podcast interview. 

Listen to the interview to learn more about Owen’s journey. 

At the end of the episode, Aamani Sharma, a first-year student studying enterprise technology integration at Penn State, joins the conversation. She is an officer in the Nittany AI Student Society and in the Women in IST group at Penn State University Park. Her startup, “Raamani Apparels,” is working toward building a chain of Indian wear in the United States. Owen talks to Sharma about having a balance of soft skills and hard skills on a startup’s founding team. 

Students can apply or be nominated to be on the show here

About 'Dare to Disrupt'

Dare to Disrupt” is a podcast from Invent Penn State about Penn State alumni who are innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders, and the stories behind their success. The podcast is hosted by alumnus Ryan Newman, a graduate of the Smeal College of Business and a Schreyer Scholar alumnus who is now a managing director at Goldman Sachs. 

Past episodes of “Dare to Disrupt” include interviews with Matt Brezina, David Rusenko and Jess Weiner. 

New episodes of “Dare to Disrupt” release monthly. Learn more at invent.psu.edu/dare-to-disrupt and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Play

Invent Penn State is a commonwealth-wide initiative to spur economic development, job creation and student career success. 

Last Updated May 17, 2023